When to take a drysuit class?

[2Tours N Iraq`]

My drysuit had to be custom made as I happen to have long legs compared to a short torso that required a custom suit. Fortunately, it wasn't much more expensive than a stock suit so it didn't set me back but another $100 or so. Another fortunate thing for me is if ever I am forced to stop diving (oh how I hope not!) I have a clone...err...twin brother who would benefit from my most despicable misfortune and would inherit my DS.

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

I am very suprized that the try before you buy answer hasn't factored in here more. Its been brought up a few times, and I agree, it would be great to be able to try different suits before you buy one, since they cost so much and MAY have to be custom ordered to fit you which would most likely make them harder to resale if you arent happy...

Unfortunately, there isn't a traveling event where you can test dive several different brands of drysuits. The closest thing is an event, such as DUI DOG Rally & Demo Days, where you can try several different drysuits by a single manufacturer. In order to test dive several brands, you'd have to get a DS cert card and rent through a few LDSs that carry competing brands to get the most accurate assessment of the feel of the suit and features you may want/need. Since this can be nearly as expensive as actually purchasing a suit it isn't seen very often, at least not here in the U.S. Your best bet would be to attending dive shows, such as DEMA, and trying various drysuit brands there. Travel and lodging for attending one of those shows can also be quite expensive and so the majority of us simply don't have that opportunity. As of now, it is just simply easier to purchase or rent a DS from your LDS and learn to dive in it.

 

[Teamcasa]

My drysuit had to be custom made as I happen to have long legs compared to a short torso that required a custom suit. Fortunately, it wasn't much more expensive than a stock suit so it didn't set me back but another $100 or so. Another fortunate thing for me is if ever I am forced to stop diving (oh how I hope not!) I have a clone...err...twin brother who would benefit from my most despicable misfortune and would inherit my DS.

I'm the opposite – long torso and short legs. I bought the Whites Catalyst 360, custom made and my wife got the new Fusion suit.

Whites is also having a drysuit demo tour.
http://www.whitesdiving.com/index.php?site=4&id=186&cid=640

 

[Colliam7]

Having just purchased my first drysuit, I ask this in all seriousness. Just what is the big deal? … I am an accomplished diver with good skills, but all my diving has been in wetsuits. So the difference is the mechanics of adjusting the buoyancy characteristics and squeeze, getting my trim adjusted and going over safety protocols. … Do I really need a class or will just a couple of dives do the trick?

Some drysuit questions for you: …Do you use your BC to control buoyancy, or your DS, or both? Does your DS have a quick dump for stopping a rapid ascent? What do you do when the air is trapped in your feet? How do you adjust the dump valve? Do you wear ankle weights or not? Do you need more or less weight for the DS? My personal opinion is that most "specialties" are a waste of the plastic they are printed on. I think DS and nitrox are the only two that are important.

There’s a definite learning curve with a DS. Taking a class may help orient the new DS diver to some of the DS-specific issues (which Dale outlined). It won’t make a new DS diver proficient, but it may help that diver overcome some of the challenges a little more easily at the beginning, rather than through entirely empirical effort. Can the same orientation be accomplished by diving with a DS buddy? Possibly. I found the course helpful, because it covered those very issues in an organized, structured manner. It prepared me for the important part, which is diving my DS to learn how. And, after 100 DS dives, I am still learning.

 

[String]

First, what brand of DS has the most reliable automatic valves as tested by an unbiased 3rd party and where are they placed?

Not sure about north america but in europe generally there are only 2 types of valve - Apeks and Sitec. All manufacturers use one of those although they sometimes rebrand.

And second, is having an automatic valve placed on the cuff the standard placement for a particular brand or is it something that each individual must order custom regardless of the manufacturer?

An auto on the cuff would be huge and bulky and ive never seen one. A normal cuff dump is nothing more than a diaphragm with no adjustments - it dumps when you place your wrist higher than the rest of the suit and stops when you lower it.

 

[Melicertes]

Having just purchased my first drysuit, I ask this in all seriousness. Just what is the big deal?

I am an accomplished diver with good skills, but all my diving has been in wetsuits. So the difference is the mechanics of adjusting the buoyancy characteristics and squeeze, getting my trim adjusted and going over safety protocols.

Do I really need a class or will just a couple of dives do the trick?

I am in the same boat as Teamcasa. Both my wife and I are well qualified and are relatively experienced divers (there's always more to learn) who have always been diving wet. Late last year the two of us were talking about going into SoCal's colder waters again for winter diving and we both just looked at each other knowing it's going to be a PITA. We're used to warm ocean current diving and although our semi-dry's(wets) have been awesome we were just getting fed up with the SI's being cold and taking a while to warm up, wading through the surf on shore entries with enough neoprene to make the Michelin Man look fashionable, and in general having shorter dives because we're using more air being cold on dives. Add to that our longing to dive the wrecks down in San Diego and then thinking about the bottom temperatures and we were both very clear that it's time to think dry.

I first had to decide what drysuits we were going to look at and after some research on SB for a couple of weeks and talking a bit with Joe over at ScubaToys, I decided to go with the Bare Nex-Gen Pro's simply because we are in a position where finances are tight and from the reviews on here it seems that the NexGens come up with a pretty good rap for an entry level ds. So I spoke to Joe yesterday on the phone and we'll have our suits in a few days so I'm really excited about getting more diving done more comfortably from now on.

I realize full well that there is a learning curve but I also realize that this is not rocket science. So, I am glad to see there's more people here who also feel that a ds training course is a potential waste of time - I got the DVD and book and we worked through it already. With some of the tips on SB here we're probably better informed than most first timers but with that being said, we've both always been of the opinion that the thing about diving is and always will be IMHO, that book knowledge means :mooner: and that the real deal is when the water meets the wetsuit (drysuit in this case).

We both have decent buoyancy control so we're starting off with at least that. The next steps for us are going to be to go through the dvd again when the suits arrive from Joe to make sure we have everything where it should be, and then it's the pool for us for a test run and several shallow confined water practice sessions. If we're not able to get the hang of it we'll do the training but if we do I see no need to pay the $$ right now. Once we're satisfied that we have it down we'd like to find someone here on SB that might be interested in going with us to dive a couple of dives to make sure we translate properly from confined to open water. I will be posting a thread on SB's SoCal forum when we're ready and hopefully we'll be able to hook up with someone for a couple of dives to celebrate the start of Summer!

 

[Teamcasa]

Having just purchased my first drysuit, I ask this in all seriousness. Just what is the big deal? … I am an accomplished diver with good skills, but all my diving has been in wetsuits. So the difference is the mechanics of adjusting the buoyancy characteristics and squeeze, getting my trim adjusted and going over safety protocols. … Do I really need a class or will just a couple of dives do the trick?

Here are the results of my first dives. I plan on returning this or next weekend to add to the DS dive totals.

First Dive Impressions - Catalyst 360

 

[dbulmer]

TeamCasa,
A couple of tips.

1) Get some KY Jelly if you have Latex seals - makes getting in the suit easier and is not as messy on the seals. Use unscented talc for storing the suit.

2) Practice shallow for a few dives - the shallow practice is what you need for comfort and getting your bouyancy right for stops - for example OOA and attaching/detaching the drysuit inflator hose - do it with your buddy -you'll get some good buoyancy practice.

3) Do a weight check as soon as possible

4) Inspect the zip before and after each dive - ie don't stress the zip and make sure it's lubed a lot.

5) If you have any aspirations to use doubles don't use the suit for buoyancy - use the BC and remove squeeze - this might be debatable for some people but try point 2 with air in the suit and then without and see which feels more comfortable in terms of buoyancy control.

6) Try reaching back for your tank valve in the water - this can reveal how good a fit the drysuit/undersuit is or highlight a potential trim issue.

7) When you put your drysuit on, pull the undersuit upwards towards the sky - this might give you a little more flexibility.
8) Have fun

 

[Teamcasa]

TeamCasa,
A couple of tips.

1) Get some KY Jelly if you have Latex seals - makes getting in the suit easier and is not as messy on the seals. Use unscented talc for storing the suit.

2) Practice shallow for a few dives - the shallow practice is what you need for comfort and getting your bouyancy right for stops - for example OOA and attaching/detaching the drysuit inflator hose - do it with your buddy -you'll get some good buoyancy practice.

3) Do a weight check as soon as possible

4) Inspect the zip before and after each dive - ie don't stress the zip and make sure it's lubed a lot.

5) If you have any aspirations to use doubles don't use the suit for buoyancy - use the BC and remove squeeze - this might be debatable for some people but try point 2 with air in the suit and then without and see which feels more comfortable in terms of buoyancy control.

6) Try reaching back for your tank valve in the water - this can reveal how good a fit the drysuit/undersuit is or highlight a potential trim issue.

7) When you put your drysuit on, pull the undersuit upwards towards the sky - this might give you a little more flexibility.
8) Have fun

KY Jelly? Seems a bit messy to me.

7 & 8 - Good tips.

 

[Melicertes]

Me too, I think I'm going to be staying with my two squirts of much diluted Johnson's Baby shampoo from a sprayer bottle that I'm using on my semi-dry seals at the moment to use on the DS seals when my suit arrives from ScubaToys in a few days. Does anybody have any reasonable argument as to why I should not be using this on DS seals?